Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI) Raised to "Buy" at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $88.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on JCI. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America increased their target price on Johnson Controls International from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Johnson Controls International from $62.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.93.

Johnson Controls International Stock Performance

JCI stock traded up $1.93 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $80.64. 6,313,611 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,798,170. Johnson Controls International has a twelve month low of $51.71 and a twelve month high of $87.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.13.

Johnson Controls International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 23rd. Johnson Controls International's payout ratio is 58.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO George Oliver sold 224,152 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total transaction of $18,541,853.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,166,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at $96,533,578.24. This trade represents a 16.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Nathan D. Manning sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $231,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 140,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,828,815.04. This trade represents a 2.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 761,588 shares of company stock worth $62,711,800. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson Controls International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JCI. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 514.9% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,391,562 shares of the company's stock worth $418,439,000 after acquiring an additional 4,514,792 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 686.4% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 4,445,418 shares of the company's stock worth $295,487,000 after buying an additional 3,880,146 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Johnson Controls International by 263.9% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,341,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,197,000 after buying an additional 973,145 shares during the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson Controls International by 81.3% in the 2nd quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,432,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,207,000 after buying an additional 642,315 shares during the period. Finally, Interval Partners LP raised its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 601.5% during the second quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 676,676 shares of the company's stock worth $44,979,000 after acquiring an additional 580,212 shares during the last quarter. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Johnson Controls International

Johnson Controls International plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, and retrofitting building products and systems in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates in four segments: Building Solutions North America, Building Solutions EMEA/LA, Building Solutions Asia Pacific, and Global Products.